Tennessee: Nelson is out for season

KNOXVILLE — Junior defensive tackle Chase Nelson will miss Tennessee’s 2008 season with a “traumatic patella tendon rupture” in his knee, according to UT trainers. A Wednesday MRI confirmed the injury, which occurred in Tuesday’s practice.

“It’s a tough loss,” Vols coach Phillip Fulmer said Thursday night.

Nelson, who came to the Volunteers as a heralded recruit from Tulsa, Okla., appeared in just four games last season before dislocating his wrist against Louisiana-Lafayette.

“I feel sorry for Chase, because he’s had kind of one thing after another after another,” Fulmer said. “But we’ll try to regroup, and this gives Donald Langley and Victor Thomas even more opportunity.”

UT coaches feel good about their first three tackles — junior Dan Williams and juniors Demonte Bolden and Walter Fisher — but there’s little experience behind that trio. Sophomore Thomas and redshirt freshman Langley are Nos. 4 and 5 on the depth chart.

“This is really bad news,” Thomas said. “We’re very sorry that he can’t be here, but we’re going to have to move on. We’re going to have to make the best out of this situation.

“There’s a lot of pressure on us to get depth for our team, so we can give those first-team guys some breathers.”

Physical ability isn’t the question for Thomas and Langley, but coaches have implored them to give more consistent effort.

“There’s one less man, so we have to contribute twice as hard to contribute as much as we can,” said Langley, who will practice in full pads for the first time today. He missed the first two days to be at home in Maryland with his sick mother, and the NCAA mandates a four-day acclimation period before players can dress in full pads.

“There will probably be some considerations of moving an end in there, or something like that,” Fulmer said. “But we play enough three-down (linemen) stuff and all of that ... we’ll be fine.”

Senior end Robert Ayers shifted inside on some passing downs last season and said he’ll “do it again, if the coaches ask me.”

Scrimmage review

Fulmer said starting safeties Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley “played really well” in Wednesday’s 58-play scrimmage, as did the team’s top four wide receivers: seniors Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe, junior Austin Rogers and sophomore Gerald Jones.

Starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton said the offense “did a pretty good job of being physical and trying to run the ball.

“We’ve got so much stuff going in every day, and we’re almost done installing everything,” Crompton added. “Once we get everything in, it will start slowing down a little bit more. But right now, we’re going back and forth. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good day.”

Three freshmen — linebacker Herman Lathers and ends Willie Bohannon and Steven Fowlkes — were given high marks from several teammates.

Warren, Williams waiting

Florida State tight end transfer Brandon Warren was back in full pads Thursday after missing Wednesday’s practice with a class conflict, but the SEC has still not released an announcement on his 2008 eligibility request.

Thursday was the final day of summer classes, so word on junior college linebacker transfer Gerald Williams’ eligibility is near. Williams needed to pass one more math course to secure NCAA eligibility for this season.